With the time progress and the leap-forward development of science and technology, intelligent device such as robot has become a well-known term. In addition, characterized by convenient cleaning operations, time-saving and labour-saving functions, family service robots, such as intelligent cleaner and intelligent mopping machine, help the people liberate from burdensome housework and step in the family life of common people.
In the prior art of family service robots, the robots may complete the most basic dusting functions according to the requirements of people.
In the prior art, the cleaning robots are approximately classified into intelligent dust collector, intelligent sweeper and intelligent cleaner integrating the functions of dust collection and sweeping. The cleaning principle of intelligent dust collector is described as follows: Relying on the high-speed rotation of motor driven fan blades, the fan blades powerfully suck air, generating big pressure difference between inside and outside of dust collector body. Powerful air flow is generated at the suction port, so that the dust and dirt on the surface to be cleaned are sucked into the dust collecting unit of dust collector along with the air flow; through the filtering function of filter, the dust and dirt are remained in the dust collecting unit, clean air is released to the atmosphere through filter and fan blades. The cleaning principle of intelligent sweeper: A rotatable rolling brush is provided at the bottom of sweeper, through the rotation of rolling brush, such dirt as particles on the surface to be cleaned are brought into the dust collecting unit of sweeper. The cleaning principle of intelligent cleaner is: A motor which can generate vacuum effect, a fan blade and a rotatable rolling brush are set on the cleaner, through the pull of vacuum and the rotation of the rolling brush, such dirt as dust and particles on the surface to be cleaned are sucked and carried into the dust collecting unit in the cleaner. At the same power, the cleaner may generate better cleaning effect over the intelligent dust collector or intelligent sweeper.
In the process of working, the said cleaning robot may move by itself in general. When a robot, such as an intelligent cleaner, encounters such dirt as dust in its walking path, the dust sensors mounted on both sides of intake channel may detect the quantity of such dirt as dust. Under the driving force of rolling brush and the suction force, such dirt as dust enter the dust collecting box. Then, the dust sensor may compare the detected quantity of such dirt as dust between intake channels with the preset standard value, so as to determine whether it is necessary to make fixed and concentrated suction and sweeping on this cleaning point.
Thus it can be observed that, for the cleaning robot in the prior art the detection of such dirt as dust is a passive process, namely, only when the robot has met such dirt as dust, the function of detection can be played, without the function of active recognition and selection. Therefore, in making cleaning work, since such cleaning robot is unable to make active recognition to dust but move about on the surface to be cleaned in general cases, it always takes very long time to clean up the surface to be cleaned, leading to low efficiency and waste of electric energy. In order to overcome these deficiencies, it is necessary for the people to guide such cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can arrive at the place with such dirt as dust for cleaning. In such case, the man-made intervention is virtually added, so that it is impossible to achieve the ultimate objective of liberating the people from labor work.
In addition, there is another kind of cleaning robot which is provided with pick-up device. The pick-up device may collect the image of the ground area in front and compare this image with a standard image, so as to determine whether it is necessary to make cleaning on such area. Although this method can be used to make active detection on the area to be cleaned, the judgment method is too simple and fails to accurately determine whether the area from which the image is collected really needs cleaning, leading to high false judgment rate.